Let This Dream End Tonight

The Great Escape

Goldilocks grappled the windowsill and threw the rest of their homemade sheets rope out the window. The three girls were beaming from ear to ear with excitement, but at the same time they were shaking with fear. Even if we get out of this mess I'll still have to deal with those bears, Goldilocks thinks to herself.

In one fluid movement Ariel hoists herself up onto the windowsill and eases herself out of the window and slides down the rope, using the wall for support. Belle and Goldilocks follow suit and soon all three of them are standing on a ledge of the castle hiding from the guards below behind gargoyles. Belle starts to giggle then she starts to laugh hysterically. She clutches onto Goldilocks and Ariel and starts to quietly cry tears of joy.

"I'm finally out of there. Thank you so much, both of you," Belle cries.

"Don't cry, we saved you because that's what friends are for," Ariel smiles.

"I don't think I've ever had true friends," Belle whispers.

"Neither have we, but now we all have friends we can count on. All three of us are here for each other and right now we need to complete our great escape," Goldilocks hugs the other two tightly as they nod giggling.

They check to make sure the coast is clear and grapple their makeshift hook to one of the dark gargoyles' legs. After pulling on the rope to make sure it won't come loose Goldilocks lets herself down gently holding onto the rope and climbing down the grey castle wall, using the stones as stair steps down. Checking once again to make sure the coast is clear she motions for the other two to follow her lead down the wall. It took a little longer for Belle to get down, and she almost fell from eight feet above the ground, but they all made it down in one piece.

Ariel tugs on the rope to pull it down and it makes a swishing sound then a clunk as the metal hanger hits the ground. Goldilocks puts a finger to her lips to make Ariel be quite and she mouths a guilty 'sorry' in Goldilocks's direction. Belle's grinning from ear to ear and can barely contain herself from collapsing and laying down on the soft, green grass.

The only thing that kept her from doing so was Ariel tugging gently on her arm and guiding her out of the castle's orchard, where they had landed after climbing down the castle. Sneaking between apple trees wasn't an easy or riskless chore. Branches kept scratching their arms and leaves would get caught in their long hair; blonde, red, and brown. It took a while but they reached the edge of the orchard and climb over the fence surrounding the royal orchard.

Yelling and arguing could be heard throughout the orchard, the prince had come back and found them gone. He had probably noticed all the missing sheets and the window they had mistakenly left open. The girls look at each other with wide eyes full of fear.

"Run," Ariel growls.

The other two nod in one, quick movement and they start sprinting for town. They could hear the metal clinking of armor and the stomping of boots behind them. The guards had found them. The three girls were starting to lose their breath and they were all breathing heavily and tripping clumsily over everything in the path. People turn their heads to look lazily at them as they ran into town being followed by at least half a dozen armor-clad castle guards.

"This way," Goldilocks says and makes a sharp turn down an alley.

Ariel and Belle follow her down the alley in the beat of a heart. The guards ran by the alley and the three girls lean against the wall catching their breaths. The smiles on their faces hid their true expressions. Thunder booms overhead and it begins to sprinkle on them. They look up to see the sky is shrouded in dark, fast moving clouds. Ariel's eyes widen with fear.

"What's wrong Ariel, it's just a little bit of rain," Belle asks.

"No, those are my father's powers. He's going to flood the village away because I left the kingdom, I left home. I don't want to go back," Ariel whispers, tears stinging her eyes.

"Oh no," Belle whispers and puts a hand over her mouth.

"We will win this fight. We will all three be free, we just have to stay strong. We can get away from everyone we want to be away from, the prince, the bears, and your father," Goldilocks puts her hands on Ariel's shoulders.

Ariel nods and dries her eyes. They start to walk to the other end of the alley when three figures move and stand at the end of the alley. Goldilocks gasps when she recognizes the three figures as the three bears, her stalkers. The three men have wide, insane grins on their faces. They stand in order, oldest to youngest. They walk into the alley, keeping pace with each other.

The three girls turn on their heels to run for the other exit, but walking towards them on that end is Prince Adam, angry beyond all comparison, and his royal guard behind him. Above them the storm was brewing and it began to pour on them all. The water felt cold and stung their skin. Ariel, Goldilocks, and Belle stand back to back in a triangular form scared out of their minds. There's no way out of this, the normally positive and bright Ariel thinks to herself.